Ilben, Owain, and Elisa crept silently through the nearby village, around a ten minute walk from the children's home. It had been around a year and a half that they had been there, and they needed adventure sometimes.

   At that moment, they were going to a tavern, at the dead of night. Supposedly, nobody knew they were gone, and they would be in massive trouble if the housekeeper figured out. The home had a sundown policy–meaning they couldn’t go outside past that time. It was around eleven at night.

   The night was a chilly one, with pouring rain and an icy wind. It didn’t help matters that children at the homes were given no extra clothes. So Ilben still wore his white tunic, trousers, and worn boots. Owain still wore a brown leather vest over a brown tunic, and black boots. While Elisa just wore a tattered dress.

   Shivering, they slunk between alleyways, and darted up to the Gutted Boar Tavern. From outside, they could hear raucous laughter and drunken singing from inside, as well as curses to rival a sailor’s.

   Owain smiled as he opened the door for them. “Never gets old, does it?”

   “No chance,” Ilben said with a grin. 

   Then they shuffled into the warmth of the Gutted Boar. 

   Near the back of the room, a fire roared in the hearth and men laughed at crass jokes. At the front of the building, the bar was being tended by a kind looking man of Southern Kelt complexion. His beard was made of tight curly hairs and his tree trunk arms could out-wrestle the arms of a trained Bloodied. His skin was the color of chocolate, and his head bald. 

   “Hail there, Boher!” Owain called in a jolly voice.

  Boher was pouring a glass of whiskey for a fat man with a greasy mustache. “Hey there! If it isn’t my favorite lil’ group o’ vagabonds,” he said. “Come up and I’ll give you each a glass, on me.”

   Excited, the trio ran up and took seats. Boher pulled out a bottle filled with ale. “This is one of my best brews, wouldn’t give it to none other than y’all.”

   The beautiful liquid sloshed into their cups and they drank greedily. “Amazing! Where is this from?” Ilben asked.

   “Can’t give away trade secrets now can I?” Boher said with a wink.

   Owain rolled his eyes and whispered something to Elisa, which she giggled at. Ilben, who was watching, glanced away quickly.

   Boher noticed and nudged Ilben. “You aren’t that old, Ilben. You have plenty of time,” he whispered.

   When they had drunk their fill, they sat at the fire and laughed about their time in the children’s home. Owain reminisced of times they had played pranks on Gerchin and Lervstoe, and all the weekend nights spent sneaking out to the tavern–which had become a tradition for the last eight months. 

   It wasn’t that Ilben and Owain actually had a good life at the children’s home, it was just that they held onto the little good they could find. For Elisa though, her life was better. She had friends, a roof over her head, and a warm bed.

   So it was around the second hour of the morning when they snuck back to the home. The rain had reduced to a light drizzle and they would have to be extra quiet when entering. 

   Owain led the way, carefully pushing the door open. It responded with a teeth-gritting creak, but they were in. However, as they crept toward their dorms, two people stood in their way.

   “Hello there Ilben, Owain, and the pretty Elisa,” Lervstoe said with a sadistic grin on his face. Next to him stood Gerchin, with a fierce look on her face.

   Owain curses would have shamed a pirate. They had been locked into their dorm and made to wait for Gerchin’s decision of their punishment. Ilben sat there, brooding. 

   “I’ll kill him!” Owain yelled.

   “It doesn’t help, Owain,” Ilben huffed. “We’re in deep water now. Gerchin could restrict us to the indoors for the next few months, or worse!”

   They sat in silence, before the door opened and Lervstoe peeked in. “It’s time for the verdict,” 

   Owain gritted his teeth and the two boys walked out into the common room. Waiting for them, the housekeeper stood with her arms crossed and around a hundred children sat waiting for the decision.

  The room was silent as Gerchin spoke: “Because of your violation of the home’s curfew laws, you are to only leave the lodge for the bathroom, and you cannot join us for excursions into the nearby town, or go into Githhaven with us. This punishment will last for a year.”

   “You can’t do this!” Owain protested.

   Ilben grabbed him and held him back. “It’s fine, it will be fine.”

   Near a hundred children ages five to eighteen played outside, swam in the nearby creek, or relaxed in the shade. 

   It was a hot summer day in the sixth month of the year, four months after Owain, Ilben, and Elisa had been caught. Already, they were dying to go outside, and it felt like prison, which it practically was. 

   At least during it all, they had each other. But that didn’t help Ilben as he watched Elisa and Owain, sitting around three feet from him and trying to be as close to each other without being obvious, but failing.

   Ilben sighed. Ever since his father had died, it felt like his world was upside down. Before, he had been an energetic, playful, funny kid with a family, home, village, and friends. Now, he still had some friends, but no real home, no family, and couldn’t even leave the building. On top of that, Owain and Elisa… Well he didn’t even like thinking about it. 

   Ilben got up and started pacing. He couldn’t live like this anymore–wouldn’t. He turned to his friends, a sudden resolve taking him by the hand and leading him forward. 

   “Guys, we need to leave.”

   Owain and Elisa looked up. 

   “Are you serious?” Elisa exclaimed. “You guys are technically prisoners of war and I am a criminal. There would be warrants for our arrest and we would be hunted.”

   “So then we flee somewhere outside of the Kelt Empire!” 

   “Qaerlin doesn’t allow outsiders, and the stargazers are well, the stargazers,” Owain said.

   Elisa started. “That’s it! The stargazers!”

   “Elisa, the stargazers are secretive and also look down on foreigners,” Ilben pointed out. 

   Elisa rolled her eyes. “Remember when I first met you guys and we shared our stories with each other?”

   The two boys nodded.

   “Well, I told you guys about how while I don’t remember who my parents were, I remember what they were. I am a stargazer, meaning we can seek refuge there!”

   They looked at her and thought about it.

   “I think it’s a good plan,” Ilben conceded.

   Owain shrugged. “Anywhere is better than this.”

   That night, Elisa rolled out of bed silently and found a bundle of belongings she had gathered and hidden while everyone was outside. It was a measly roll of two pairs of socks, a pair of worn moccasins, a night gown, and shawl. Her dress she had worn to bed, so as to leave faster. 

   One problem had been the biggest however: The person outside of one of the girl’s dorm so Elisa couldn’t sneak out. Although it would be risky, the boys had decided they would knock out the person outside of theirs, and then ambush the guard outside her’s.

   As Elisa snuck toward the door, she heard a muffled grunt, and then a knock, the signal that the coast was clear. She opened the door softly and found the boys standing there, smirks on their faces.

   She smiled and wrapped them each in a hug. “Let’s do this.”

   They had gathered a bit of food from the kitchen, a few kitchen knives for protection, and a flask of water. The trio carefully slunk toward the door of the lodge and stood there. 

   “I can’t believe we are doing this. Are you guys ready?” Ilben whispered.

   They all nodded their assent and opened the door to the outer world. Immediately, they were met with the blessed summer nightly breeze. Ilben glanced back at the lodge, realizing he wouldn’t be able to go back, and straightened up. 

   “Let’s go.”

   And with that, the three companions left their shelter and only known life for almost two years. Into the unknown.